Exemplary embodiments relate generally to communications, and more particularly, to communications utilizing caller identification.
Caller identification (also known as caller ID, CID, or calling number identification) is a service, available, e.g., on POTS (plain old telephone service) line, that transmits a caller's number to the called party's telephone equipment during the ringing signal, or when the call is being set up. Where available, caller ID can also provide a name associated with the calling telephone number. The information made available to the called party may be made visible on a telephone's own display or on a separate attached device.
Caller ID is often helpful for tracing prank calls and other unwanted intrusions. The concept behind caller ID is the value of informed consent. However, it can also impede communication by enabling the user to become evasive.
Many times the called party views the caller ID before answering the telephone, and when the number or name is not recognized, the called party does not answer the phone. However, in some cases, the person calling may actually be someone that the called party would recognize but the person calling is at a different telephone from his/her home telephone.
A need exists for a mechanism by which the called party can recognize the calling party even if the calling party is calling from a different telephone (or communication device, e.g., a PDA or a computer).